X-ray tilt table



May 26, 1959 LAND 2,888,567

X-RAY TILT TABLE Filed Jan. 23, 1957 INVENTOR. (l/5767? B. Lfi/YD.

United Stats 2,888,567 Patented May 26;19'59 X-RAY TELT TABLE Chester B. Land, New Hyde Park, N. assignor to F-R 'Machine Works, Inc., Woodside, N.Y., a corporation ofNew York Application January 23,1951, Serial No. 635,732

3 Claims. (Cl. 250-58) The present invention relates to X-rayapp'aratus and more particularly to an X-ray tilt table which is tiltable from the horizontal to the complete vertical position for supporting a patient during the making of a diagnostic examination.

X-ray tilt tables of this type have long been known to the art but heretofore such tables have been restricted in their use to the making of single X-ray exposures of a maximum size of 14 inches by 17 inches or to the use of roll film of much smaller size where a succession of exposures are desired. Moreover, such prior known X- ray tables have required loading of their film carrying cassettes from the side of the table which must be repeated for each exposure. This procedure of handling numerous cassettes is not only time consuming but also is conducive of appreciable fatigue to the operator. In addition it is still further time consuming to load and unload film from these numerous individual cassettes and to then process all these exposed films individually for viewing. It has also been necessary with X-ray tilt tables heretofore known to the art to apply thereto special units whenever it is desired to make stereographic or angiographic examinations.

It is accordingly the primary object of the present invention to provide an X-ray tilt table which is substantially a time saving and more economical apparatus over prior art tables since when once the film magazine is loaded and the cassette loaded in the table, numerous exposures can then be made in rapid succession and later developed in a single operation.

Another object of the present invention is the provision of an X-ray tilt table adapted for the making of a succession of radiographic exposures of the usual fourteen by seventeen inch size from a film roll and at a rate of one exposure per second.

Another object of the present invention is the provision of an X-ray tilt table wherein a cassette carrying a roll film can be readily loaded in an end of such table and such apparatus then employed for the making of stereographic and angiographic exposures without the necessity of the heretofore required special equipment.

Another object of the present invention is the provision of an X-ray tilt table in which the latter is substantially entirely enclosed and wherein its film-carrying cassette is provided with roll film for the making of the customary fourteen by seventeen inch radiographic exposures in succession and wherein such cassette is loaded with such roll film with facility and ease from the table end.

Still further objects of the present invention will become obvious to those skilled in the art by reference to the accompanying drawing wherein:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the X-ray tilt table of the present invention, and

Fig. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of one end of the X-ray tilt table as shown in Fig. l but with the load ing doors of the table end and the cassette carriage in their open position.

Referring now to the drawing in detail, as an illustration of one form which the present invention may take, the X-ray tilt table 5, therein shown, comprises an X-ray pervious top 6 having a pivo.ted end extension 7 and which is supported by closed sides and ends thus making a totally enclosed table except for a narrow longitudinal slot 8 on one side thereof. Such table top is pivotally supported by a pair of substantially triangularly shaped pedestals 9 and is rotatable about its pivot by means of an electric motor (not shown) having a pinion gear on its shaft engaging an arcuate rack-bar 10 on the table side as shown in Fig. 1. A co uiiterbalanced cassette carriage 12 (Fig. 2) is manually movable longitudinally beneath the table top on the usual tracks upon the turning of a hand crank 13 (Fig. 1) and the customary Bucky grid (not shown)*-is also movable longitudinally of the table top, into and out of engagement with the cassette carriage as desired, by ineans of a handle 14 protruding from the slot 8 immediately below the table top. A control panel 15 is provided on the side of one of the pedestals 9 which contains the switch for energizing the electric motor to cause rotation of the table top 6 about its pivot, as well as the various" signal lightsto indicate when the Bucky grid is in, or out of, enegagement with the cassette carriage 12.

For the purpose of loading and unloading the cassette carriage 12 with the film-roll bearing cassette 16 (Fig. 2), such carriage 12 is provided with a hinged door 17 through which such cassette 16 is passed into telescopic engagement with the carriage. Also, in order to give access to the cassette carriage door 17, the table end is likewise provided with a hinged door 18 of somewhat greater area than the carriage door 17 so that the latter can be swung outwardly through the table door 18. Accordingly, when the film-roll, which is such size as to enable numerous exposures of fourteen by seventeen inches to be successively made, has been completely exposed and hence has passed from one spool to another, it is only necesary to open the table door 18 and the eassette carriage door 17 and grasp the handle 19 to slide the film-roll bearing cassette 16 from its telescopic engagement with the carriage 12 on to a caster-carrying table or hand-truck, where the cassette is supported during transit to the dark-room for removal and development of the exposed film. After removal of the exposed spool and reloading of the cassette 16 with a spool of unexposed film, it is returned to the table end and again slid through the open doors 17 and 18 into the cassette carriage 12 after which such doors are closed and the X- ray tilt table is again ready for use in the making of more radiographic exposures.

It should thus become obvious to those skilled in the art from the foregoing that an X-ray tilt table has been provided by the present invention wherein such table is entirely enclosed to thus exclude dirt and dust, as well as extraneous objects, that might otherwise fall beneath the table during usage, and which table has multiple application in the art of radiography. Moreover, such table is provided with a film-roll carrying cassette which enables the making of successive radiographic exposures of full fourteen by seventeen inch size, either intermittently or continuously, at a rate of one exposure frame per second and which cassette is readily and easily insertable into position through aligned opened doors in the cassette carriage and at the end of the closed table. Since the exposures can be made with such rapidity and without the necessity of changing the cassette, all usual radiographic techniques can be performed with greater speed and with less operator fatigue than heretofore and in addition special techniques can also be performed with equal facility, such as the making of stereographic and 3 angiographic examinations, without the necessity of the special apparatus as previously required by prior art tables.

I claim:

1. An X-ray tilt table comprising a table top rotatable about a pivot to various positions from the horizontal to the vertical, a completely enclosed support for said table top including side and end members, a cassette carriage movable longitudinally of said table top for carrying a film-roll bearing cassette, a door in said cassette carriage through which said cassette is passed into and out of tele scopic engagement with said cassette carriage, and a door in the end of said table to allow access to the door of said cassette carriage and to the cassette carried by the latter.

2. An X-ray tilt table comprising a table top rotatable about a pivot to various positions from the horizontal to the vertical, a completely enclosed support for said table top including side and end members, a cassette carriage movable longitudinally of said table top for carrying a film-roll bearing cassette, a hinged door in said cassette carriage through which said cassette is passed into and out of telescopic engagement with said cassette carriage, and a hinged door in the end of said stable of slightly greaterarea than that of said cassete carriage door to allow the latter to swing outwardly through said table end door and to allow access to said cassette when in position in said cassette carriage through both of said doors.

3. An X-ray tilt table comprising a table top rotatable about a pivot to various positions from the horizontal to the vertical, a completely enclosed support for said table top including side and end members, a cassette carri movable longitudinally of said table top and carryin a film-roll bearing cassette to enable the making of a succession of X-ray exposures of full fourteen by seven teen inch siz a door in said cassette carriage through which said. calcite is passed into and out of telescopic engagement with said cassette carriage, and a door in the end of said table of slightly greater area than that of said cassette carriage door to allow the latter to swing out wardiy through said table-end door and to allow said filmroll cassette to be passed through both substantially aligned doors.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,026,000 Powers Dec. 31, 1935 2,315,786 Grobe Apr. 16, 1943 2,321,156 Powers June 8, 1943 2,359,582 Powers Oct. 3, 1944 2,391,191 Powers Dec. 18, 1945 2,622,206 Passannante Dec. 16, 1952 

